Does the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (so keep away from all those sects, even if you have to bite onto the trunk of a tree) indicate keeping away from the current groups, and what is the meaning of (even if you have to bite onto the trunk of a tree)?

The questioner : Our Shaykh, regarding the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman which is in the two Sahihs, and whose ending is , can we say in this time that the parties or Islamic groups are among those sects from which a Muslim must keep away, and what is the meaning of ?

The Shaykh : As for the meaning, it is very clear; it is an exaggeration regarding not belonging to any of those parties, just as he said in the well-known hadith: . So bid'ah (religious innovation) and the Sunnah are two conceptual matters. Just as he warns against bid'ah and says: , so he encourages holding fast to the Sunnah and says: . It is not a material thing that one would bite with one's teeth; rather, this is an Arabic style to emphasize the importance of holding fast to this Sunnah. Similarly, here in the hadith of Hudhayfah, there is an emphasis on the importance of not belonging to any of those sects. However, this hadith, or this phrase from the hadith, does not mean in any way that a Muslim should live alone, far away from his Muslim brothers, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . And the Noble Qur'an confirms this meaning by saying: . So a Muslim being with a group is an obligatory matter, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says: , and he says: One of the signs of the saved sect is that it is the Jama'ah (congregation).
Yes.